


Games of the Gods

by Dorksidefiker



Category: Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-09
Updated: 2013-02-09
Packaged: 2017-11-28 16:31:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,162
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/676511
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dorksidefiker/pseuds/Dorksidefiker
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Three great powers have claim to Jack Frost, and not one of them is willing to give him up without a fight.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Games of the Gods

**Author's Note:**

> Written for [this Kink Meme promt.](http://rotg-kink.dreamwidth.org/2200.html?thread=3470488#cmt3470488)

_Year One_

**THESE THINGS MUST COME AT A PRICE,** Death intoned, taking a glass of wine for no other reason than that it was offered. Mother Nature curled up on the chaise lounge like a great cat, watching both Death and the Man in the Moon warily. Manny passed her a glass before seating himself. Thus far, the meeting wasn't going well.

It had seemed like such a good idea at the time. The boy had shined so brightly with joy and love and courage in the face of fear, calling to Manny to raise him up high. But the boy _had_ died before Manny could reach him, which meant bargain with Death. And he could not give Jack power he didn't already have some access to, which was what had brought Lady Seraphina into the picture. Like Death, she too demanded a price.

Unfortunately, all three wanted the exact same thing: Jack Frost.

"Undead or not, he's a nature spirit, and that puts him under my control. I can't very well have a winter spirit running about without any proper instruction!" Seraphina insisted, sipping her wine slowly.

 _You knew he was mine,_ Manny couldn't help but think, anger bubbling within him, _and that I had plans for him when I asked for your help. What are you plotting?_

Not that he didn't already have an inkling. Seraphina was always on the lookout for something she could use to help her father, one way or another. The ultimate goal was always the same; it was just the details that kept shifting.

"He seems to be managing alright so far," Manny noted lightly.

"Tell me that when he's bringing down a blizzard in the middle of June."

There might not have been enough wine in the universe to help him deal with that woman.

**HE IS MORE THAN ABLE TO STAND ALONE, APART FROM THE LIVING WORLD.**

"I raised him so that he could spread joy to the children," Manny reminded his companions. "This... this is going to lead to fighting, isn't it."

Seraphina stared into her glass as if trying to divine the future there. "That would be... imprudent," she conceded.

Death's robe's rustled, a silent agreement. They were all great Powers, and a war between them would destroy the world, making it all for naught. But none of them were willing to relinquish their prize to the others.

"Perhaps we could come to an arrangement?" Manny suggested, refilling his glass, then Seraphina's. "Shared custody, if you will, until we can determine Jack's final disposition?"

The wine glass made an eerie noise as Seraphina ran a long finger around the rim. "That could be acceptable."

They both watched Death, who toyed with his wine glass. **I CONCUR.**

They drank and debated through the night, arguing over each and every rule within the agreement as they cobbled it together. Years later, Manny would think that perhaps it would have been better of the wine had flowed a bit less freely, but it did make Seraphina so much more bearable in the short run.

The three would meet once a year to determine which of them would guide Jack Frost's fate for the next twelve months. During that time, the other two were to have _no_ contact with the winter spirit, and he was not to be told of The Arrangement, nor was anyone else. Finally, the one in control of Jack for the year would be determined by a game (but nothing that relied solely on a roll of the dice).

If the other two had been the least bit sober at that point, they might have remembered just how good Death was at games.

~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~

_Year 42_

"Oh, how I loathe you," Seraphina groaned as she glared at the scissors Death made with his fingers.

"You have a tell," Manny insisted, giggly drunk already. He'd been knocked out of the competition early, and was making excellent progress through a bottle of sherry.

"Best out of twenty!"

~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~

_Year 109_

"There was a time when I could have had your head on a pike for that." Manny did his best to wipe the beer from his face. Seraphina looked not the least bit repentant as she refilled her pint.

"You broke your alliance with me, I dumped beer on you. Be glad it wasn't the tea, that's still hot." She sat down at the table with a little huff, glaring. "And you know what? I'd have liked to see you try!"

Death went around the game board, capturing the little figurines that represented Seraphina's forces.

~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~

_Year 155_

Manny groaned, tossing chalk at the board. "No, no, enough. We're getting someone ELSE to pick the words we have to guess!"

~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~

_Year 217_

The problem was there were so very few places in the room where Manny could look and garuntee that he wouldn't get a lightning bolt to his tender parts (which were disturbingly exposed at the moment). Seraphina sat to his left, wrapped in her dignity and little else. Most of her undergarments had been lost long before in an obvious bid to discomfort him to the point where he would abandon the game. Manny had refused; if he couldn't beat Death, then by all that was holy, he _would_ beat her!

Technically, Seraphina was still beating him. Manny had never realized that females had quiet so many undergarments before (even if stockings DID count as one item).

Death was wiggling into Seraphina's gown, running boney fingers over the fine material. **SAMITE,** he noted. **VERY NICE. YOU HAVE EXCELLENT TASTE.**

"Thank you," Seraphina replied frostily, crossing her legs and dealing out the next hand. Manny shifted uncomfortably, willing his cards to be better than they were (or at least for everyone else's cards to be worse than his) as the corset hit the table.

~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~

_Year 267_

"Must you continue to wear _my_ dress? There's no need to continue to rub your victory in my face!"

**IT'S VERY COMFORTABLE, AND THE STYLE IS TIMELESS.**

~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~

_Year 289_

Later, when Manny was clinging to the toilet bowl and Seraphina was desperately hunting for her underwear, they would agree that a drinking contest was an incredibly bad idea.

~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~

_Year 300_

The three great powers stared at the machine with it's flashing lights and pulsating music, and finally agreed that it was time their stalemate came to an end.

It was Seraphina who reminded them that at three hundred and eighteen, Jack Frost was more than old enough to decide his own fate. Death, who had long guided Jack on a road of solitude, agreed.

Manny didn't bother to bring up the fact that he knew Pitch Black was on the move. Better to let her think she might win this little victory.

~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~

 _Maybe I shouldn't have been so obvious with my victory party,_ Manny mused as he watched the heavy, swirling cloud cover that blocked out his messages to the Guardians.

"Once a daddy's girl, always a daddy's girl."


End file.
